MSCHE Self Study April 2021

and attrition rates for recent graduating classes and first ‐ time and ultimate licensing examination (NBEO) pass rates. Certain of these data are also available through the Student Consumer Information (Student Right to Know) webpage ( Student Consumer Information Webpage ‐ PDF ), which is accessible from the College’s homepage (under About ). The College is in compliance with relevant federal regulations as indicated in the Verification of Compliance with Accreditation ‐ Relevant Federal Regulations filed with MSCHE. Accreditation status with MSCHE and the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) are posted on the College’s webpage ( Accreditation Webpage – PDF ). Relevant program administrators regularly review all program publications, written policies, advertising and student recruitment material for accuracy and update them as needed. Published student recruitment materials include the Admissions Guide , College’s Fact Sheet and View Book . Policies of relevance to students are in in the Student Handbook and those relevant to faculty are in the Faculty Handbook . These documents and the policies included therein are reviewed and updated annually. Both are published on the College’s website. The annual OD Exit Survey asks students to rate their level agreement with the following statement: “I was given an accurate picture of the College during the admissions process” In the 2018, 2019 and 2020 surveys, 87%, 78% and 95%, respectively, agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. Services to Promote Affordability and Access On the days that prospective students are interviewed at SUNY Optometry, each applicant is provided with information on housing and financial aid programs, as well as the process for applying for federal financial aid ( Financial Aid and Housing Guide ). As part of this initial session, students receive information about student loan debt and learn how the budgeting choices they make now will influence the amount of debt they carry upon graduation. Students are counseled on the importance of setting up and keeping a budget. Students are also provided with general information regarding their rights and responsibilities as well as an introduction to debt management. Canadian and foreign students are notified of specific programs that apply to them. The financial aid office sends entering optometry students a Financial Aid Information Letter . Once the student is evaluated for aid, he/she is sent an award letter stating his/her financial aid eligibility, budget and program eligibility. Financial aid information is published on the College’s website ( Financial Aid Webpage ‐ PDF ). The Financial Aid Office gives two “tea chats” per year where students attend to discuss debt management. The Office also averages about 120 individual financial counseling sessions on budgeting and debt management per year. Prior to graduation, each student receives another training session known as the exit interview. This session is conducted at the https://studentloans.gov/myDirectLoan/index.action website and is used to meet the federal government’s requirement for exit interview counseling. This site

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